Crater Lake

We decided to head off to see Crater Lake today so I packed us a lunch to take figuring that we could find a picnic table near the lodge for lunch.  As we got closer to Crater Lake, we were surprised to see snow alongside the road.

When we got to the turn off, there was a sign that said the south entrance was open but the north entrance was closed.  Whew, glad we were entering through the south.  The handout we were given by the ranger said that the west rim drive was only partially open and the east rim was closed.  Good thing we hadn't planned on driving the rim.

With remnants of snow around the lakes edge, the lake was beautiful.  It was 59* and warm. We couldn't have picked a better day.  Check out the reflections of the rim and the sky on the lake - breathtaking.

Crater Lake gets an average of 44 feet of snow a season.  This past year, they got 56 feel of snow.  Here the gift shop is nearly surrounded by snow.

This shot was taken near the lodge.  Pictures just don't do the lake justice.  The color of the water is spectacular.

Spotted this old Dodge 8 will rumple seat up at the lodge.  We saw them drive away and the guy riding in the back was all bundled up with jacket, scarf, and hat.  It might have been cold but it looked like it would have been fun to ride in the back.

As all the picnic tables were still under snow, we ate our lunch in the truck.  A fellow South Dakotan stopped by to say hello.  She resided near some lake we never heard of (now there's a surprise).

Crater Lake fun facts (taken from NP handout):

Deepest lake in the US

6.02 miles across - maximum

4.54 miles across - minimum

1,943 feet deep at deepest point

Holds 4.9 trillion gallons of water

Tallest point on rim 1,978 feet above lake

Lowest point on rim 507 feet above lake

Mazama is not an extinct volcano

On our way back home, John got this picture of Mt. Shasta (over 100 miles away) peaking up way in the distance.

We also stopped at this pretty little creek called Crooked Creek.  The creek was running crystal clear.

Once we got home, we went to sit outside for a while.  There are various sizes of chipmunks running everywhere and they aren't the least afraid of humans.  So much so, that they seem to expect you to feed them.  One was so persistent that I had concerns about him bitting one of us or running up our legs, that I went in and got a spray bottle.  John smacked him once in the head with a stream of water and he pretty much left us alone after that.

We also have Stellar's Jays that also aren't shy about begging for handouts.  These guys appear larger than the Stellar's Jays we have seen in the Sierra Nevada mountains.  

After a barbecuing dinner, which we ate outside, we enjoyed the evening sitting outside until the bugs got to bugging us.